Author Topic: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale  (Read 1446 times)

Offline Frank3k

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Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« on: May 10, 2022, 01:08:27 PM »
The Nemeth Parasol was an unusual circular wing plane from the mid 1930s that flew fairly well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIFyBU83kME

The mid 30s also produced the Cierva autogiro. The autogiro/autogyros of the day flew well, but they suffered from poorly understood (at the time) edge case issues when landing that could cause a crash. Like an autogyro, the Nemeth had a very short takeoff length (see the video) and an even shorter landing distance. It was also reportedly "stall proof" and very easy to fly.

What if the Cierva corporation had decided to expand their lineup to include an airplane with performance similar to an autogyro (or autogiro) but with the mechanical simplicity of fixed wing aircraft?

I built a what-if Parasol Kaydet for the Brian da Basher/Brian Perri Memorial GB and building it had major challenges. I clearly forgot the issues building that model, because I decided to combine a Miniart 1/35 Cierva C.30a with 3D printed parasol wing!

The base kit is the Miniart Cierva C.30 w/ Winter Ski mainly because it was (strangely) cheaper than some of the other boxings of the same kit. It has nice looking artwork:



I whipped up the parasol wing in Rhino 3D and printed it on my filament printer. The wing was printed in ABS at a fairly low resolution. It would have looked far better in resin, but I wanted to use ABS for this project. Here are the upper and lower wing halves:



They look hideous, especially the lower wing (which is almost flat). I may skip the lower half and just glue on a sheet of styrene.

After much sanding, some acetone smoothing and a layer of primer, the upper wing is coming along. I left the supports in place, since they give the print some rigidity:



I also started on the kit. Miniart did a fantastic job with the C.30 - it's very detailed; the engine and cockpit could be models on their own. Here's the engine and cockpit:



The engine is pretty much finished. I added some ignition wires and a control line that's visible on the real plane:



The kit comes with a fairly extensive PE sheet, which included 28 small (1mm or less) wide connectors for the exhaust ports on the cylinders. I used 14 and skipped the rest. As you can see, (or not) they're not really visible.

Since this will be a fixed wing aircraft, I added two control sticks to the cockpit:





I now have to figure out how to attach the wing (which is heavier than it looks). I may leave one of the rotor pitch controls since it'll add another point of support. In the world of this design, the wing would have a variable angle of attack for takeoffs, which would provide an even shorter takeoff distance.
I'll also have to add a rudder. The Cierva has a vestigial rudder that looks more like a trim tab. I'll add a bigger surface in its place, to give this version some yaw control.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2022, 01:12:58 PM by Frank3k »

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2022, 01:11:27 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline Frank3k

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2022, 01:35:57 PM »
This kit builds up quickly, despite the seemingly fiddly parts. I despaired a bit over the "poor" fit of the tail, but the real Cierva looks like this. I moved the compass to the instrument panel in the rear cockpit as well:



The rotor head (or in this case, wing support) is just tacked in place. I drilled holes for small brass pins, but I may not need them:



Now it's on to finishing the wing, ailerons and flap, plus deciding on wheels or skis and the final colors.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2022, 01:42:49 PM by Frank3k »

Offline raafif

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2022, 07:28:54 AM »
Grasshopper ! :D

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2022, 08:29:50 AM »
The German built Cierva autogiro was the Focke-Wulf Fw C.30A Heuschrecke... grasshopper.

Offline apophenia

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2022, 10:19:57 AM »
Looking good Frank  :smiley:  Are you still planning to enlarge the rudder?
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Offline Frank3k

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2022, 11:21:25 AM »
I made a larger rudder, but it doesn't follow the curves of the tail fin - it just sticks out. The original rudder looks more like a trim tab. I'm wondering if the fins at the ends of the horizontal stabilizers act as a rudder.

Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2022, 02:28:14 AM »
 This looks like it would have been a winner in reality. I could see it showing up in The Shadow or Doc Savage.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2022, 10:41:35 AM »
Finished! The registration code - G-MAYT is not in use and represents MAY Twenty two (the year built). I keep reading is as "G'Day Mate", which also works. I forgot to add the "Steven Paul Nemeth Parasol wing" decal:



The pilots obviously have very poor upwards visibility. The 3D printed parasol wing is pretty heavy, but both the main landing gear and former rotor mast have held up under the weight.
I shot this on my recently re-surfaced patio. The railing is going to be painted soon, so I thought I'd make good use of the new patio surface and sunlight, while I can.

Front view with a 1/35 scale 3D print of a scanned person, from ReedOak. Not fully painted yet:



The wing is held in place with some poster putty and a square plastic rod.



I copied the Cierva Autogiro Company address from a period ad. The 22 on the rotor housing is the year I finished the model:



The tailwheel was not happy with the full weight of the model so I had to add a brass rod to support it. The rod between the flap and the fuselage actually helps keep the wing aligned.



I painted the tiny rudder/trim tab? rust red to give it some color contrast. The main wheels are from an old Monogram 1/48 Me-262. I replaced the molded brake line (?) with a thin styrene rod:



There isn't much weathering at all, since this plane would have been kept clean. For this whif, I assumed that Cierva would have tested the wing's angle of attack, especially at takeoff. I found a more recent parasol wing aircraft with a variable AoA so I guess I wasn't far off.

This has been a fun and pretty much issue-free build. The 3D printed ABS wing worked well and the MiniArt model went together very well.

« Last Edit: May 23, 2022, 10:45:29 AM by Frank3k »

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2022, 05:57:42 PM »
Nice finish! :smiley: :smiley: 8)
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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2022, 02:21:03 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2022, 06:33:23 PM »
Really nice, subtle modification  :smiley:

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #12 on: May 24, 2022, 11:49:10 PM »
Thanks guys. The wing is pretty heavy, but the model seems stable. The tail wheel was under stress but the brass support worked.

The MiniArt kit is very well engineered and a pleasure to build, with pretty clear instructions and parts layout. I don't know of my opinion would have changed once I got to the rotors (which have PE and small plastic attachment points for support) but I have a feeling they would have been fine.

Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Cierva-Nemeth VSTOL, 1/35 scale
« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2022, 09:10:42 PM »
Looks great at the finish line. I would have been tempted to add a pair of supports for the wing out from where the landing gear struts angle up to the fuselage (Nemeth's original was a fair grove of struts, IIRC) but the clean look is really good.